Please read this article. People don’t believe me when they find out I have chronic, clinical depression. They see me writing and making sure my sons have what they need and they think I’m hanging in there despite all the stress. That’s because I’ve learned how to pass for cheerful in our relentlessly perky social culture. The fewer assumptions people make about those of us who suffer with any kind of mental illness, the sooner we’ll reach that point of compassion and support these articles might easily sabotage.

It’s high time I dragged myself into the 21st Century by joining the blogosphere. I’m a writer. Fantasy, dark fantasy, historical romance, horror, nonfiction. I have one novel out, SHIP OF DREAMS, under my romance pen name of Elaine LeClaire. You can find my short fiction at Tales of Old, Tales to Terrify, and soon in Midnight Movie Creature Feature Vol. 2. I’m very fortunate to have a career that lets me work at home because my two sons are both what’s now referred to as “special needs” children.

They’re not so much children anymore. Michael is sixteen. He had to be delivered at only twenty-three weeks, making him a micro-preemie. A pulmonary hemorrhage and a grade four plus brain bleed left him with cerebral palsy and later seizure disorder. He is medically fragile, an invalid who is either in his wheelchair or his hospital bed. He doesn’t let any of that stop him. He’s an award-winning artist, a great bowler, and he loves classic rock. Michael has a great smile and a wicked sense of humor.

John is fourteen. He went full term, but he did refuse to breathe. His brief bout of hypoxia is what we believe caused his speech delay. Speech therapy led to an evaluation by a neurologist which resulted in a diagnosis of autism. John is low on the spectrum, with a talent for drawing that began when he started watching “Blue’s Clues” at age two. He has taught “Drawing with John” classes at his elementary school both in the classroom and over the school’s closed-circuit television broadcasts. John loves digital animation and studies the Special Features options on DVDs which give him a behind-the-scenes view of how the artists and programmers work their magic.

It’s not easy finding time to write when each day I have phone calls to make, medical supplies to order, school projects to supervise, doctor appointments, prescription refills to keep track of, and the other random demands that crop up all the time. I tend to stay close to home for the boys’ sakes, so writing lets me run away from home inside my own head. I look forward to sharing the ups and downs of this life with you.

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Finding My Fiction

Who I Am

I'm a professional writer living in Northern California with my husband and two sons. Fantasy in various forms is my reading and writing pleasure. I'm a history buff, a Japanophile, and I love to learn about language(s). I enjoy making jewelry, using natural materials such as wood, bone, semiprecious stones, and seashells. I collect bookmarks and wind chimes.